Utah Travel Headlines

Monday, July 15, 2013

Meander Along Utah's Heritage Highway

Hwy 89 through central and southern
Utah has been designated Utah's Heritage Highway. It wanders through
small towns and agricultural areas and provides access to many scenic
spots and recreational areas..

Hwy 89 parallels I-15 along much of its
route. It provides a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy small
town culture, including products made by local artisans.

The oregonlive.com has this
article about the highway. Below we give the headline and then
excerpts.

Traveling Utah's Heritage Highway by
motorhome offers a slower, more scenic, homespun look at the state

Highway 89 from Fairview on the north
end to Big Water on the shore of Lake Powell in the south has been
designated the Utah Heritage Highway to promote tourism in the small
Mormon settlements and other cultural heritage spots that straddle
the road. The highway runs parallel to Interstate 15, which is the
preferred north-south route through Utah. But for travelers with time
on their hands, the slower, more scenic Highway 89 offers a homespun
look at the state.

It seems like every community along the
highway has one or two shops catering to tourists with locally
produced wares. Some towns are worth the stop, even if you aren't in
the market for a handcrafted souvenir.

Well north of Junction lies Marysvale
and Big Rock Candy Mountain. The multicolored mountain got its name
after a song first popularized in the late 1920s. A few local
residents placed a sign near the base of the stone, naming it "Big
Rock Candy Mountain" and dubbed a creek near it "Lemonade
Springs." The names stuck and the mountain became one of the
most recognized sites along the highway.

The Sevier River brought Mormon
settlers to the area, where they farmed and ran cattle. But abandoned
farmhouses, barns and feedlots give silent, yet scenic, testimony to
some plans and dreams that didn't quite work out.

Others hang on, investing in careers
that may be more satisfying than profitable.